Jahana Hayes, a former high school teacher, has made Connecticut history as the first black woman elected to the House of Representatives.

Jahana Hayes

Image credit: AP

2016's national "Teacher Of The Year" Jahana Hayes won Connecticut's 5th district with a projected 56% of the vote on Wednesday morning, beating Republican Manny Santos, who got a projected 44%.

Hayes succeeds Democrat Elizabeth Esty who didn't run for re-election.

Hayes grew up in a housing project and her mother struggled with drug addiction. At 17 she got pregnant but enrolled in community college and got her bachelor's and advanced degrees, the Associated Press reported.

Jared Polis, the new governor of Colorado, is the first openly gay man to be elected as the governor of a US state.

Democratic Rep. Jared Polis on Tuesday night became the first openly gay man elected as the governor of a US state.

Polis, a Democrat, won the Colorado gubernatorial race against Republican Walker Stapleton.

He was not shy about his sexual orientation on the campaign trail whatsoever. "I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of Mike Pence, whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today," Polis said of his candidacy during a speech earlier this year.

Sylvia Garcia and Veronica Escobar have become Texas' first-ever Latina women in Congress.

Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia.

Image credit: AP

El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar won House district 16 for the Democrats with a projected 68.4% of the vote. Her district covers El Paso.

Sylvia Garcia, a Democratic state senator, beat GOP candidate Philip Aronoff in House district 29, which covers Houston, with a projected 75% of the vote.